Al-Andalus

al-Andalus was the name given to the Muslim parts of Spain that existed from 710 to 1492, encompassing large parts of Portugal and Spain (at one point, it covered all of the Iberian Peninsula except for Asturias). While al-Andalus was not always united under one country (the Caliphate of Cordoba, Almoravids, and Almohads temporarily united the Muslim states), it was a cultural domain, having the same culture. al-Andalus' Muslim inhabitants were known as "Moors", as many came from the old Roman region of Mauretania in North Africa; others were Berbers and Arabs. al-Andalus would be a melting pot of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish religions as well as African, Arabic, and Western cultures, and it was a center of learning. Science, music, and poetry were composed in the region for hundreds of years, and al-Andalus would continue to be an important center of Islamic arts until it was conquered by the Christian kingdoms of Spain in 1492.